present invention generally relates to a method of providing telephone communications between a calling party and a called party wherein the called party assumes the responsibility for the costs associated with the telephone call, and more specifically to a telephone billing system and method that allows the called party an option to designate an account to be charged for the call other than the account associated with telephone service at the call destination or any other call destination.
Conventional methods of placing telephone calls utilizing so called xe2x80x9creverse billingxe2x80x9d, wherein a called party assumes the cost of the call, involve the placing of collect telephone calls. A collect telephone call can be placed by a calling party and the called party may then accept or deny the call and the associated charges. The cost of the collect call is billed to the called number and appears on the telephone billing statement of the called number. Thus, the collect call billing method is restricted to the telephone service account of the called number, i.e., the specific destination number.
On the other hand, a calling party has the option of placing a telephone call from any telephone and paying for the call by alternate means, such as with a credit card or a prepaid calling card. In these situations, the calling party is usually the owner of the card or account. Thus, they are in control of the account and any associated Customer Identification and Verification (CIV), such as a Personal Identification Number (PIN).
However, no current methods are known that allow the called party the same flexibility, that is to direct charges of a telephone call to a credit card, debit card, or prepaid calling card, account.
In many situations, a called party, such as a relative, friend, or business associate of a calling party, may have an important need for establishing telephone communications with the calling party that allows the called party to accept the cost of the call while maintaining ownership and control of the charged account. For example, a parent may have an important need to allow a child to call home from a public telephone without using a calling card, credit card, collect charging, or coins. Another example exists in connection with correctional facilities, where family members may wish to receive calls from an inmate and accept the charges of the call without incurring higher costs associated with normal collect calling. Yet another example exist where the called party may be at a destination number where accepting charges to that account would be inappropriate, such as a parent or husband at their place of employment.
A need also exists for reverse billing, or called-party billing, at rates lower than those associated with normal collect calls and that allows the called party to charge the call to an account other than the telephone service account of the called number, such as a credit card account or a prepaid calling card account.
The present invention is a telephone billing system and method that allows for reverse billing of a telephone call, i.e., wherein the calling party relies on the called party to assume the cost of the telephone call. The method allows a called party at a destination telephone number to accept or deny the call, and, if the call is accepted, to bill the call to a credit card account, debit card account, a prepaid calling card account, or any other type of account not necessarily associated with the telephone service account of the destination telephone number. This allows the called party to receive calls anywhere where billing the service account is not desired or appropriate. The present method also allows the called party to maintain ownership and control of the charged account. The present method further allows the called party to avoid collect call services.
The method of the present invention includes the steps of receiving a predetermined access number from a calling party; prompting for a destination number; notifying a called party of the call they are receiving; allowing the called party to accept the call and enter a number associated with an account other than the telephone service account of the destination telephone number; verifying the account number and whether the account has sufficient value available; completing the telephone call to the destination number; and processing the charges associated with the call to be charged against the account.
The method of the present invention may also include other steps requiring Customer Identification and Verification (CIV) and other database inquiries for controlling and regulating the system.
The present invention allows: an account holder to fix an amount of monetary value within the account to avoid excessive monthly phone bills that are typically associated with collect calls; allows an account holder to accept calls at locations away from home since the account is not associated with the destination number as with collect calling methods; and allows the account holder to be charged lower rates than the typical rates associated with standard collect calling methods.
In a particular application, the method is implemented in correctional facilities, wherein friends and family members can purchase an account having a prepaid amount of calling value from a provider such as the correctional facility. Thus, the prepaid account allows the friends and family members to maintain ownership and control of the charged account as opposed to the inmate maintaining ownership.